Does medical marijuana work for chronic pain?

@sprinrosa64 Awesome news!!!

I’ve tried CBD cream and oral oil without THC and not found that it does much, if anything, to help with the pain of arthritis. I’d love to get recommendations of brand, dosage, with or without THC, external or oral use, etc., from folks here who have used CBD to successfully control pain. Even with online research, it’s hard to tell which companies are making high quality, safe, and effective products. Thanks in advance!

Good evening @jlo70. It looks like you joined Connect right after Christmas. That is a good way to begin a new year. And today is 2/22/2022. I wanted to respond to your request for information about medical cannabis. You indicate that you have not found pain relief from arthritis when using a cream or tincture without THC.

What you miss without THC is the "entourage effect". You can read about that phenomenon on Leafly.....a good cannabis website for valuable and reliable information.

I have been managing my small fiber neuropathy pain for several years with just two medial cannabis products......Tinctures and Topicals. I use two different dosages. At bedtime, I use a measured amount on the dropper, e.g. 25ml depending on how adapted my body is to the amount of 2:1 CBD/THC. At this point I actually use the entire dropper.....but please don't start there. In the morning to get my day started I use a 1:1 CBD/THC but only 50 ml.

For pain and tingle tangles in my hands or feet, I use one of two topicals. One is a 3:1 CBD/THC that I rub into my hands thoroughly. This dosage is for chronic pain. When I have a flare, I will use a 1:3 CBD/THC for acute pain.

I don't know where you live. Can you tell me what the marijuana laws are in your state? Do you need a prescription so that you can get a medical marijuana card? Also, when you visit the dispensary in a legal state there are special pharmacists that can help you get started on the right product with the right dosage.

It takes a little experimenting. For a good explanation in addition to Leafly, you can visit Papa and Barkley......a company in CA that I have been using for about five years. They have all CBD products that can be shipped to you on one section of their site and the CBD/THC products that can be found in legal dispensaries.

Please don't be leery about asking questions of me or anyone in the field of medical cannabis. Good luck......I hope you find relief for your arthritis. Please don't use these products with opioids or alcohol. I have only had 2 overdoses in all the years I have been using cannabis and it wasn't fun. Takes about three hours to wear off......and you will be more careful from then on.

Does this help clear the air a bit? And do me a favor.....do not buy street products. The reason that legality helps us all is that it assures regulation so that we can trust the origin and quality of the products.

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris

I had CBD/ with and without - from Switzerland and Holland -i have back pain after a wrong dosage of radio ( in Switzerland!)and it didnt help at all … a friend mentioned CANOVA…. She said it helped her also to sleep deeper .
Keep on trying and have faith… one day you‘ll find something that at least smoothes it a wee bit! xx

I suffer from neuropathy, and I get some releif from medical cannibis. Smoke or vape cartridges. Indica strain is best for "body" buzz. Cannabis isn't a silver bullet, its a tool for Pain. Great for sleep!!! better than benzo's

Hi. So I use cbd/thc oil. A balanced blend between the 2. I found when using cbd only, it didn't help. I use a blend of cbd/thc, codine, pregabalin and duloxetine. I am not an MD, pain specialist or an advocate for medical marijuana or anything else. Up until now I had only tried marijuana when I was in college but I did not inhale, haha. I had been taking hydromorphone and a number of other meds including codine and pregabalin. Some of the meds where to combat the serious side-effects of the hydromorphone. I was very sick, addicted to opioids and STILL IN A GREAT DEAL OF PAIN!! I weaned myself off the opiods onto the marijuana. A very tough time. Here in Canada marijuana is legal. I experimented with various blends and strengths to find what works for me. Now, I am still in pain but don't seem to care as much? I am able to eat at least one meal a day and function well enough to get my cows fed. I have ACNES which is severe nerve pain all of the time, 24/7 365. Hope this helps

Good evening @arniec......and let me extend a hand to welcome you to Connect. It is good that you have found that medical cannabis can help with your neuropathy pain. And you are correct.....the Indica strain is best for "body" buzz as you call it. That is where I started about seven years ago. I do want to shake my finger at you a little bit. I gave up vape cartridges because of the potential damage to our lungs. Would you be willing to try a tincture......you even have a couple of different dosages......a 1:1 CBD/THC for the morning "get up and go routine" and then a 2:1 CBD/THC for evening and bedtime?

Let me know if you are able to convert to liquids. I also use a topical balm. The 1:3 CBD/THC is for acute pain and the 3:1 CBD/THC is for chronic pain. I hope you can send me a post when you've given it a try. I am looking after your health.

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris

I have a medical card and have tried different combinations. It didn’t work for me, but it’s worth a try. It tends to make me lazy and stoned even in low doses. Opioids work well for my non-neuropathic pain, but use comes with stigma attached, even for those of us who follow label directions faithfully. I also use pregabalin for neuropathy. I’m blessed with several issues. I’m dependent on several drugs to stay out of the clinic or hospital or early death—immunosuppressants, blood pressure, etc. The pain meds are just additional meds. It allows me to exercise as directed. If and when it stops working I’ll try something else that’s non-invasive.

There are no easy answers to dealing with pain, though. There are a lot of things worth trying, depending on what’s causing the pain. A good pain management doc can explain and offer options depending on your case.

Hope that helps. Oh, I agree concerning vaping. It’s probably not good for your lungs. Try edibles instead if you can. Leafly is a reliable source of information, yes.

Hi Chris, thank you for the response. Never did a tincture. I don't like edibles, as the results are unpredictable. The vape scare was due to bootleg cartridges, which I do not buy. I have not seen any other issues with vaping. I also smoke a little in the eve, like the equivelent of half a joint. For what it's worth I just had a chest xray (some concern from my dr) and it was fine. I tried CBD in many forms, and nothing. Skin treatments were tried (lidocaine patch - rx strength), and nothing. The pain is deep, not on the skin. And please...no "shaking the finger". I've had this for 5 years. I have a Dorsal Root Ganglion implant, seen 2 pain mgt drs, a neurologist, an accupuncturist/alt medicine dr, 4 psychologists, 2 psychiatrists, and googled over 1K hours (including pubmed). My sensitivity for judgement, criticism, and anything remotely negative is near 0. This is a very taxing disease, and all I have are "tools" that each do a little at best. Unfortunately a little+ a little +a little + a little + a little = a little. No cure in sight, and I don't see any promising treatments out there. So yes, I'm a real crab-ass. thanks Arnie

to add to my first comment...I'm looking at the tinctures, and they don't specify the strain. Sativa gives me a headache. I've used RSO's in the past as it least they indicate the strain of origin. However the result was very unpredictable which made it rough during the day as I may micro dose during the afternoon.